General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Tired of Malignant Amnesia Anti-Obama Syndrome [View all]Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)it is dismissed. The goal posts are moved and they keep moving.
I hear the political left say: Well, he should have done thus and so...or, he should have done thus and so sooner...or it was because of US that he did thus and so...
The reason I believe that his race is significant--whether subconscious, unconscious or otherwise--is because his victories are often characterized as being not of his own making. This is a common thing that happens when black people are successful: they are successful because of a fluke, or because some white person helped them, or due to some other circumstance...NOT THEIR OWN intelligence or hard work. (Hillary and Bill Clinton played this race card during the primaries with their claim that MLK, Jr. only made pretty speeches but LBJ got things done; or, Jesse would not have won in SC if he were not black, etc.)
And of course, when there are disagreements on policy issues, that's fine.
I bolded that statement to make myself clear: HONEST, INTELLIGENT DISAGREEMENTS OVER POLICY DIFFERENCES ARE FINE!!!
But when one is constantly moving the goalposts, regardless of what this man does, and it's never good enough, that's when I raise my eyebrows. On the political left, this seems to be the case. Some on the left tend to pick out one or several issues. When the president fails on any one of these, they are quick to throw out his entire presidency regardless of his much larger successes, regardless of any of his accomplishments. That's why many black folks were angry at Michael Moore's comment that the president will only be known for being the First Black President. Really? None of his very long list of accomplishments--even the two that Moore's movies were about: health care and bringing bin Laden to justice--matter to him or to the left that side with him. None of that matters. He failed on one or two issues and that's it. They're throwing his entire presidency down the drain over one or two policy differences. Something is wrong here. Seems like these people are searching for reasons to hate this man; they are hungry and thirsty for reasons to demonize and shun him...and I do believe that race is a significant aspect of that behavior.
When I go back and revisit Melissa Harris Perry's controversial article exposing white liberals for their racism, I agree with her 100%. I couldn't agree with her more. It is the double standard that has always been applied to President Obama that has never been applied to any other president...and it's not just from the political right. The political left is so quick to demonize and abandon him over ANY issue to which they disagree, ignoring his larger list of accomplishments and successes. That has never been done to ANY Democratic president, no matter how horrible of a decision he made: http://www.thenation.com/article/163544/black-president-double-standard-why-white-liberals-are-abandoning-obama
I do not think Bill Clinton was treated this badly and with such disdain, hatred and disrespect from the political left. Even after all his horrible trade agreements and other bad policies that many working class Americans are suffering over today. Even after he deregulated the telecommunications industry and the banking and mortgage industries. (Well, he didn't, but he gladly went along with he Rethugs in Congress who did.) Even when he lied about Monica Lewinsky...the political left never condemned him as they do President Obama. I see this double standard play itself out with my own two eyes. And I really believe that a large part of it is due to race. Period. It may be a more unconscious form of racism, but it's racism, nevertheless. A large part of it. Not all, but a substantial part.
Disclaimer: When I refer "political left," of course I do not mean ALL on the political left. And I certainly do not mean ALL white liberals, either. The fact that I even have to type this disclaimer is sad in itself.